One of the ultimate symbols of luxury, diamonds have been desired and revered for centuries.

To understand more about these exquisite gemstones, we spoke to two of our brands to trust – Arctic Circle and Argyle Pink Diamonds – who both strive to improve the industry through responsible sourcing.

Why are diamonds still so revered and desired by people around the world?

Arctic Circle: Diamonds are revered throughout the world for their beauty and scarcity. They are the ultimate in glitz and over the years have been described as fragments of stars and tears of the gods. Every woman wants to own a diamond.

Argyle Pink Diamonds: Diamonds are the earth’s most ancient minerals and each has its own captivating story to tell. In an unstoppable quest for individuality people are drawn to their intrinsic beauty and rarity in ways similar to the desire for timeless pieces of art.

What does responsibly sourced mean to your company?

Argyle Pink Diamonds: “Responsibly sourced” goes to the heart of our DNA. Diamonds, more than any other gem, signify the purity and eternity of true love. To match this, we must ensure that the process of recovering the diamonds from the earth, refining them and taking them to market has been a careful and respectful one and has not done any harm.

Arctic Circle: We pride ourselves on knowing everything there is to know about the diamonds we sell. Where they were mined, the size of the rough your diamond came from and of course our stones are all fully certified by diamond laboratories in Canada which explains the colour, clarity and size of stone.

Arctic CircleNorthern Lights Curved Stud Earrings

Argyle Pink DiamondsBarmakian Ring

Argyle Pink DiamondsLucie Pendant

Argyle Pink DiamondsBachendorf Earrings

Arctic CircleNorthern Lights Pendant

Arctic CircleGraduated Three Stone Engagement Ring

Has there been a change in the popularity of coloured stones over recent years?

Argyle Pink Diamonds: The escalation in appreciation, understanding and value of coloured diamonds has been one of the most dynamic elements of the jewellery industry over the past two decades.

Over this time coloured diamonds have become highly sought after, as people have become increasingly informed and sophisticated in their tastes and aspirations for diamonds.

What is the difference between a pink diamond and a conventional diamond?

Arctic Circle: Pink diamonds owe their colour to a combination of intense heat and pressure while still buried deep within the earth. These factors cause distortions in the crystal lattice that absorb green light thus reflecting a pink hue in the stone.

You source diamonds from very different climates, Australia and Canada, how do the different temperatures and conditions affect the resulting stones?

Argyle Pink Diamonds: The journey of our Canadian and Australian diamonds from the mine to the jewellery box commences in polar extremes – from the point on the map where the mercury can rise to over 40 degrees centigrade and under ice where temperatures can drop to 40 degrees below. You could not imagine two more contrasting environments!

The resulting diamonds have different characteristics – the diamonds from our Canadian mine looks like the ice – pristine, white and pure. The product that comes from our Australian mine looks like the earth – deeply coloured rich reds, browns, pinks.

Argyle Pink DiamondsHyde Park Jewellers Ring

Arctic CircleRound Cluster Halo Diamond Studs

Arctic CircleNorthern Lights Ring

Arctic CircleNorthern Lights Curved Pendant

Argyle Pink DiamondsCerrone Ring

Argyle Pink DiamondsHartmanns Pendant

What values and ethos do you think you share?

Arctic Circle: As diamonds are a diminishing source, we like to know that we are working with mines who are also responsible for putting the local area back to its natural habitat via a beneficiation programme so that you cannot tell that “man” has interfered and that the area looks as it did before the mine.

Argyle Pink Diamonds: Today, provenance is key to the luxury industry. People want to know where beautiful things come from. People want to know – should demand to know – that by the time a diamond reaches them, it has done no harm.

This is a very reasonable expectation that is steadily reshaping the diamond industry for the better and Argyle Pink Diamonds is proud to be part of a modern company that is committed to holding its value chain up to the light.

What do you think the future looks like for the diamond industry?

Argyle Pink Diamonds: The future looks exciting. We work with a beautiful product in an industry where passion prevails – as they have done throughout the centuries diamonds will continue to enthral us with their beauty and their mystique.

Arctic Circle: The future of the diamond industry may be volatile. The diamond supply chain will have to resort to ever deeper mines, as older mines have exhausted their supply. This will lead to a greater cost in the exploration and maintenance of new mines, pushing up the price of diamonds and making them even more collectable and precious.